Echter's Plant Finder

Brand:  Plant Select

Description:

An upright, columnar variety with strong ascending branches, able to grow in a variety of conditions; showy silver leaves all season long and small fragrant yellow flowers followed by bright red berries; suckers, but ideal for poor alkaline soils

Ornamental Features

Silver Totem™ Buffaloberry has attractive silver deciduous foliage on a plant with a columnar habit of growth. The fuzzy narrow leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall color. It features subtle fragrant lemon yellow flowers along the branches in early spring before the leaves. It produces red berries from late summer to early fall. The smooth brown bark and silver branches are extremely showy and add significant winter interest.

Landscape Attributes

Silver Totem™ Buffaloberry is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a narrowly upright and columnar growth habit. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering
• Spiny

Silver Totem™ Buffaloberry is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens

Planting & Growing

Silver Totem™ Buffaloberry will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 25 years.

This shrub should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. This plant does not require much in the way of fertilizing once established. It is not particular as to soil type, but has a definite preference for alkaline soils, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selection of a native North American species.